The Yalta Conference

V E day

Potsdam Conference

US President Harry S. Truman informs Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin that the United States has nuclear weapons.

Aug 6, 1945

Hiroshima

The United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima

Aug 8, 1945

Nagasaki

The United States dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

Aug 14, 1945

V J day

The Japanese surrendered bringing World War Two to an end.

Sep 2, 1945

Vietnam Independence

Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam an independent republic.

1948

Formation of West Germany

The French, USA and UK partitions of Germany were merged to form West Germany

1949

End of Berlin blockade

Russia ended the blockade of Berlin.

Apr 4, 1949

NATO formed

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formed with member states Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States

1950

Senator Joseph Mccarthy, Mccarthyism, and the Witch Hunt

McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. ... The most notable examples of McCarthyism include the investigations made by Senator McCarthy himself; and the hearings conducted by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

Jun 25, 1950

Korean War

The Korean war began when North Korea invaded South Korea.

Mar 6, 1951

The Rosenberg Trial

A court case involving Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, an American couple who were executed in 1953 as spies for the Soviet Union. Some have argued that the Rosenberg's were innocent victims of McCarthy -era hysteria against communists or of anti-Semitism (they were Jewish).

Mar 5, 1953

Death of Stalin

Joseph Stalin died at the age of 74. He was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev

1954

Geneva Accords

This set of documents ended the French war with the Vietminh and divided Vietnam into North and South states. The communist leader of North Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh while the US friendly south was led by Ngo Dinh Diem.

Jul 27, 1954

End of Korean War

The Korean war ended. North Korea remained affiliated with Russia while South Korea was affiliated with the USA.

May 14, 1955

Warsaw Pact

The Warsaw Pact was formed with member states East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union.

Oct 23, 1956

Hungarian Revolution

Hungarian protest in Budapest. It quickly gathered momentum and on 24th October Soviet tanks entered Budapest. The tanks withdrew on 28th October and a new government was formed which quickly moved to introduce democracy, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. The Soviet tanks returned on 4th November encircling Budapest. The Prime Minister Imre Nagy made a World broadcast that Hungary was under attack from the Soviet Union and calling for aid.

Oct 30, 1956

Suez Crisis

Following military bombardment by Israeli forces, a joint British and French force invaded Egypt to regain control of the Suez Canal which had been nationalised by the Egyptian leader Nasser. The attack was heavily criticised by World leaders, especially America because Russia had offered support to Egypt. The British and French were forced to withdraw and a UN peace keeping force was sent to establish order.

Nov 1, 1957

Space Race

USSR Sputnik II carried Laika the dog, the first living creature to go into space

1960

Paris East/West talks

Talks between Nikita Khrushchev and Dwight Eisenhower concerning the fate of Germany broke down when a USA U2 spy plane was shot down over Russian airspace.

Apr 12, 1961

Space Race

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human being in space.

Apr 17, 1961

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A force of Cuban exiles, trained by the CIA, aided by the US government attempted to invade Cuba and overthrow the Communist government of Fidel Castro. The attempt failed.

Aug 13, 1961

Berlin Wall

Berlin wall built and borders sealed between East and West Germany.

Oct 14, 1962

Cuban Missile Crisis

A US spy plane reported sighting the construction of a Soviet nuclear missile base in Cuba. President Kennedy set up a naval blockade and demanded the removal of the missiles. War was averted when the Russians agreed on 28th October to remove the weapons. The United States agreed not to invade Cuba.

Nov 22, 1963

JFK Assassination

JF Kennedy was assassinated while on a visit to Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder but there has always been speculation that he was not a lone killer and that there may have been communist or CIA complicity.

Oct 15, 1964

USSR

Nikita Krushchev removed from office. He was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev.

1965

Vietnam War

150,000 US troops sent to Vietnam.

Aug 20, 1968

Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia

Warsaw Pact forces entered Czechoslovakia in a bid to stop the reforms known as ‘Prague Spring’ instigated by Alexander Dubcek. When he refused to halt his programme of reforms Dubcek was arrested

Jul 20, 1969

Space Race

US Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon.

Apr 30, 1970

Vietnam War

President Richard Nixon ordered US troops to go to Cambodia.

Sep 3, 1971

Four Power Agreement Berlin

May 26, 1972

SALT

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty signed between the US and USSR.

Aug 15, 1973

Vietnam

The Paris Peace Accords ended American involvement in Vietnam.

1975

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

Joint space venture between USA and USSR heralded as an end to the ‘Space Race’

Apr 17, 1975

Cambodia Killing fields

The Khmer Rouge attacked and took control of Cambodia. Any supporters of the former regime, anyone with links or supposed links to foreign governments as well as many intellectuals and professionals were executed in a genocide that became known as the ‘killing fields’.

Apr 30, 1975

Vietnam

North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese led to the whole country becoming Communist

Jan 20, 1977

Carter President

Jimmy Carter became the 39th President of the United States

Nov 4, 1979

Iranian hostage crisis

A group of Iranian students and militants stormed the American embassy and took 53 Americans hostage to show their support for the Iranian Revolution.